When RCBC puts out an annual report every year, I’m always so appreciative to present a new and fun way to interact with our community while shining a light on the accomplishments, improvements, and innovations of our students, faculty, and staff.

Appreciate - that word itself was the theme of last year’s annual report. In the summer of 2024, I noticed these funny little boxes popping up in every building on campus. After some close inspection, I learned they are “gratitude boxes,” a way for the RCBC community to express their gratitude for anyone and anything at the college! All you had to do was fill out one of the cards with what you’re grateful for, put it in the box, and through our social media channels and video series, Thankful Thursday, we could share this gratitude and rejoice in the positive vibes.

Over the 30 or so weeks of Thankful Thursdays, we accumulated around 57,000 views on all reels, received over 100 submissions in the boxes, and distributed dozens of President Cioce’s Golden Gratitude badges, which were medals of honor bestowed upon those who participated in the videos for the campaign. It truly warmed my armored heart to see such merriment throughout the campus all year. 

I’m not the only one who received an aesthetic upgrade this year. As our website, , received a makeover, a new campaign rolled out to shake up the college's marketing. As a marketer myself, boldly promoting RCBC as no one has promoted before, I can admire the lengths this BOLD campaign went to enhance the college experience!

BOLD is an acronym for Bright, Optimistic, Loyal, and Determined – all characteristics of our Barons. It accompanies a secondary color palette of blue, teal, and yellow, representing the vivid students who attend this school and the direction they’re set to go; toward the future, to the sky, into the setting sun. This whole new campaign shook up the look of the campus, through the benches, light poles, t-shirts, advertisements, Adirondack chairs to relax on, and more. It added something different to our classic red, gray, and black. Maybe I should ask for a BOLD colored tunic myself to shake up my own look…

Oh– and what’s more, we employed the help of some Barons to represent us in these materials. Our student models worked their model magic in an exemplary fashion.

If you thought I was bragging before about our college’s accomplishments—well, as they say, you haven’t seen anything yet. My assistant just finished calculating the numbers, and I’ve got my gauntlets on some really impressive statistics that show exactly how RCBC is outdoing its peers. 

RCBC saw the fourth-largest percentage increase in operating aid among New Jersey community colleges based on performance in Fiscal Year 2025, factored on a few reasons:

• Most degrees and certificates awarded among New Jersey community colleges, despite not being the largest college in the state: 10.1% of community college credentials came from RCBC, despite representing 6.3% of community college enrollment.
• Last year, RCBC awarded more certificates than all other New Jersey community colleges combined. Barons earned 899 of the 1,459 certificates.
• Despite the traditional-age enrollment cliff, adult enrollment increased by 8.8%—the largest increase in the state. Overall, adult enrollment throughout New Jersey community colleges actually decreased by 6.7%.

Other impressive statistics include:

• An increase in spring and winter enrollment by 10%
• Doubling winter enrollment, from 460 in 2023 to 1,054 last year
• Increased math pass rates thanks to a curriculum redesign:
  • 10% increase in pass rate for Modern College Math
  • 7% in business calculus
  • 6% in Thinking Algebraically
  • 6% in Structures of Math I
  • 5% in Accelerated Precalculus A and Calculus

A little rain couldn’t dampen our Barons’ spirits at the 2025 spring commencement. Although the wet stuff outside forced us inside, everywhere I looked, graduating students and their families still had the biggest smiles on their faces during each of the five ceremonies. Yes– you read that right: FIVE ceremonies! The most on a single day in college history. And in a piece of news that doesn’t surprise me, so many Barons set forth across the stage that day to receive their diplomas that RCBC EXCEEDED the national graduation rate for the second year in a row. I could cry tears of joy and pride!

Yes, our Barons are impressive, we know. Stanley C. Middleman, CEO of Freedom Mortgage and Philadelphia Phillies minority owner, who spoke at the two Humanities, Business, and Social Sciences ceremonies, obviously saw that, too. So encouraged by their potential, he gifted all attending HBSS graduates LAPTOP COMPUTERS! I wish I had gotten one of those.

In another fun gift, Stan brought along one of his colleagues to receive an honorary diploma. A good friend of mine, too. Can you guess it? Yup, the Phillie Phanatic, the representative of the Phillies himself! That guy has a lot of pull. Thanks to his gracious appearance, RCBC saw the biggest social media engagement ever, with 50,000 views and counting across all social media platforms. I’ve got some serious mascot-ing practice ahead of me to get on his level.

Want to learn how to craft your own beer and run a brewery? At RCBC, you can. Want to grow as a fashion designer and learn 3D designing software? At RCBC, you can. Want interest-free loans as a nursing student? At RCBC–

Okay, you see where I’m going. What I mean is that there are always a ton of new programs, classes, and initiatives at RCBC that fit the evolving world and workforce. Last year, the HBSS and STEM divisions created a new certificate program and course. The Brewing and Fermentation Science certificate program allows students to turn their passion for craft brewing into a career because breweries are all the rage these days. From the science of brewing beer to hospitality, Barons can learn how to man a microbrewery effectively.

Then there’s digital patternmaking, a course that equips future fashion designers with highly sought-after 3D garment-making software skills. Through a computer, students can see how any fabric fits, drapes, and looks without even needing the garment in front of them; not just convenient, but an essential tool in the modern fashion industry.

What’s more, RCBC teamed up with Social Finance to offer interest-free loans and living stipends to nursing students through the NJ Pay It Forward program, making college more affordable for our future healthcare heroes; in the first year, we had 10 students qualify for the loan, with almost $50,000 total borrowed and $12,500 paid in stipends to students! What new ways to better serve our students will RCBC cook up next?

Actually, there have been many other ways RCBC has endeavored (that’s a big word for Barry) to serve our Barons better. Everything, everywhere on campus, is constantly improving! Even getting into certain buildings on campus was enhanced through Barons Pass. To keep the campus safe, your ID is the key to RCBC! Once the doors have been unlocked, glance around, and you’ll notice the new aesthetic and accessible additions to the buildings: more lactation rooms, larger tutoring rooms, enhanced study areas in the academic buildings, and even the Rec Well gym in the Student Success Center to stay healthy. Thank you, Facilities crew, for your work. 

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Plus, Student Life keeps campus life engaging so Barons can have an enriching college experience. Escape rooms? Yoga? Video game tournaments? Volleyball? Yes, please! There’s something new every semester, including the fuzzy animal friends who got invited to campus in our Petting Zoo event last spring. Our Barons came out in droves to give them all the pets they deserve. But don’t forget about me, guys! 

Even when you just want to chill out solo in one of the improved study areas or on the BOLD Adirondack chairs outside, we can help you unwind with one of our podcasts on the award-winning RCBC Podcast Network. Check out the Student’s Choice and Student Government Association’s (SGA) podcasts to get a by-students, for-students look at everything else going on around campus I missed.

It might be hard to believe, but keeping this college running is not just a one-man show. (The one man being me.) I have a ton of amazing colleagues I get the pleasure of working with every day. And let me tell you, this bunch of faculty and staff are bona fide winners. I’ll prove it.

Professor of the Year was just awarded to Assistant Professor of Information Technology Chris Simber at the 2025 spring commencement, and it’s no surprise. Our IT and cybersecurity students make me confident in the future technology workforce. The cybersecurity team has placed highly, if not first place, in a ton of hacking competitions around the country!

Our Barons Best recipients– those who best exemplify being a Baron– Marcus White (fall) and Jason Varga (spring) fit those requirements to a T. Marcus, Brothers Achieving Excellence (BRAVE) coordinator, makes the college experience easier and enriching for male students of color. Jason keeps the website running impeccably and produces the heck out of the RCBC Podcast Network. Then there’s financial aid coordinator Stephanie Benito-Vasquez and RCBC graduate and peer mentor David Salgado, who were recognized as the top Latino leaders in South Jersey in 2024 for making navigating college stress-free and enjoyable for students.

Additionally, the marketing team’s Podcast Network and Puzzle annual report from 2023 won regional medallion and national paragon awards from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR), the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society was recognized as a 5-star chapter at the Middle States Conference, and our culinary arts students, led by Chef Desmond Keefe, had the best chili at Mount Holly’s Fire and Ice festival. It’s all to say our trophy room is getting a bit cramped.

It’s with the help of generous donors that RCBC can best support our Barons and ensure their access to an affordable, high-quality education. The Foundation holds several fundraisers every year so that any person or organization who wishes to help can do so. One of those is Giving Day, which was held for the first time last September. Giving Day was a one-day event for anyone to donate as much as they’d like. Swag items, including hats and coffee mugs, were awarded at certain levels of donations, prizes were given out at the prize wheel, and I was there to take a bunch of photos. We smashed our goal of $10,000 that day!

Of course, we held our Elevating Education fundraiser on another night for donations. In May, however, Joe Wechselberger made one of the largest single donations in the college’s history, donating $725,000. The gift, inspired from Joe’s time at the college in the 1970s, his late partner, Edwin R. Catanach, and his late mother, Rose Wechselberger. Rose worked as a nurse for 15 years after passing her nursing exam on the first try in 1930, so a part of the gift will help RCBC nursing students. The rest will help part-time students, representing Edwin, a former part-time college student at Mercer County Community College. 

Next time you’re in the health sciences building, you can see a tangible piece of this donation on the walls outside the nursing labs: emblazoned with the words “Joseph P. Wechselberger ‘77 Nursing Labs.” Soon, you’ll be able to see the difference his gift made in all of the nursing students coming out of RCBC’s nursing program in the future.

At RCBC, we’re so grateful for our veterans. Although I am a baron, they are the real heroes who have sacrificed so much for our country. We strive to give back to them in any way we can because of this. And in May, RCBC was recognized as one of the top ‘military-friendly’ institutions in New Jersey in 2023-2024! 

Why? Because RCBC:

• Received some of the most GI Bill benefits in the state: money that helps veterans pay for school and cover expenses while training for a job. It was the only community college on the list!
• Led all institutions in students served, with 382, 50 more than the next best. 

A sincere round of applause for our Military Education and Veteran Services team, who work daily to help veteran students navigate the finances of higher education and life after service. But there are even more ways RCBC has served veterans:

• Through a grant with Lockheed Martin, any veteran student who completed a checklist of tasks, including attending orientation and meeting an advisor, could earn a $500 stipend to pay for educational expenses while grasping a clear vision of post-grad life.
• The Veterans Center moved to the Student Success Center to better serve students who need a moment to relax or study peacefully.
• The Dental Hygiene Program held the first-ever Veterans Smile Day at the Dental Hygiene Clinic, providing free dental care to veterans, an underserved portion of the public. 85% of the 8.7 million veterans are not eligible for dental insurance coverage.

This humble baron salutes you, vets! Thank you for your service!